Student Expectations
LEMS Student Expectations Information Overview
Since various questions frequently come up related to key student expectations, the information that follows is intended to address many of those questions, as well as to give some information about important topics. Obviously, no document can cover everything, but this highlights issues that most frequently occur. With your student, please review and contact me (Tom Altepeter, assistant principal, tom.altepeter@thompsonschools.org or 970-613-7604) regarding any questions you may have.
Attendance
- Unknown or unexcused absences result in discipline referrals and detentions (being late or tardy excessively results in the same thing)
- District policy aligned with state law related to attendance is used and enforced
- Always turn in medical documentation (appointments and excuses), as those absences are exempt
- Letter automatically distributed after 7 absences
- Another letter automatically distributed after 10 absences
- Only medical documentation (appointments and excuses) after 10 absences (medical documentation includes our health office seeing and sending a student home)
- Communication with school is important, attendance contracts may need to be put into place, and our district truancy prevention staff member moves to court action if necessary after multiple attempts to improve student attendance
Conflict resolution
- Hallways, pod areas, cafeteria, outside, classrooms - basically, any place where many students are around - never work as places for students to try to resolve conflict with one another
- Students may ask counseling or administration for facilitated help, or even a quiet and safe space to have a conversation (mutually agreed upon by students) within safe distance of an adult
- Report anything and everything that seems even remotely concerning, as we'd much rather intervene and investigate, etc. instead of trying to "clean things up" after it's "too late"
Dress code
- Biggest issues center around hats, as well as clothing that is too revealing for a school setting
- Second major issue centers around anything that is inappropriate for the school setting and the middle school age group (examples include alcohol/drugs or inappropriate language showing)
- Third major issue centers around anything that can be viewed as gang related (not necessarily that the student is in a gang, claiming, or attempting to claim gang affiliation) - displaying what seems to be a purposeful representation of colors (including bandannas), displaying what seems to be a purposeful representation of numerical (13 or 14, as examples) or directional (north/south/east/west) details, clothing used purposely or not to symbolically represent gang affiliation (examples include Marilyn Monroe, ICP, or glorification of gang related individuals or groups)
Fighting
- Expect a referral to police
- If you have any ability whatsoever to remove yourself from a situation, but instead choose to engage physically - regardless of who "started" the fight - you will face consequences for fighting, as this would not constitute self defense
Inappropriate items
- Obviously weapons and alcohol/drugs/drug paraphernalia (expect a referral to police)
- Also items such as lighters, fireworks, tobacco, and vaping related items (confiscation)
- Immediately turn in discovered or found items, and there are no issues
Personal Electronic Devices
Lucile Erwin Middle School wishes to provide each student and teacher a distraction-free learning environment every school day. Research shows that when access to personal electronic devices is moderated during the school day, students are more engaged socially and academically. For more information and research on the effects of cell phones and other personal electronic devices on middle school students, please visit awayfortheday.org.
To ensure such a learning environment, LEMS implemented the following cell phone/personal electronic device (PED) policy. Please review the specifics of this policy with your student. We will also go over it with students when they return to school in the fall.
Cell phones and/or any personal electronic devices (PEDs - any device that can connect wirelessly to a network) may be brought to school; however, these items must remain off or silent and placed in the student’s locker or binder for the entire school day. Specifically, this includes periods before school, lunch, hallways, and other unstructured times. For the purposes of Lucile Erwin’s policy and to ensure a distraction-free learning environment, this also prohibits the personal use of wireless headphones, earbuds, and Airpods in all spaces. Students may use corded headphones with their Chromebooks when given teacher permission. Having a cell phone or PED is a privilege, not a right as defined by Thompson School District Board Policy (JS).
Sexting and/or inappropriate use of social media and/or messaging
- We have been involved in dealing with consistently increasing numbers of situations where students are pressuring others for inappropriate photos, sharing with others inappropriate photos not mutually exchanged, and/or sharing inappropriate photos of others with the intention of opening others up to ridicule or worse
- Parents: It's happening far more than you realize - please monitor activity and be aware of what is happening with your child and their devices - plenty of tools (apps) exist to help you do this (restrictions, tracking, finding hidden places of images, etc.)
- Students: Anything said or shared electronically is out there for always, and relatively easy to access - make wise choices (basically, if you wouldn't do it with any responsible adult sitting next to you, don't do it)
- Expect a referral to police
- Devices containing illicit material may be seized by law enforcement for evidentiary purposes
Student expectations related to administration, school resource officer, & communication
- It is very common for our school resource officer (Jay Smith, Loveland Police Department, jay.smith@thompsonschools.org or 970-613-7638) to be present when administration in addressing student issues
- A student is not in custody, and is always free to leave, when the school resource officer is present and involved along with administration
- Parents will be notified before law enforcement interviews any child who is in police custody
- Parents receive communication if their child is getting consequences, but parents may or may not receive communication if their child is not getting consequences (typically higher level concerns result in phone calls, and lower level concerns result in e-mailing/mailing the information/discipline referral)
- Any report of a student possibly having drugs, weapons, or other items of concern results in searches of the student’s locker, backpack, and items the student has in his or her possession – more than one staff members will be present when the student shares what is in his or her possession, and contact will be made home to indicate a search was done, even if nothing concerning is found in the search
- Report anything and everything that seems even remotely concerning, as we'd much rather intervene and investigate, etc. instead of trying to "clean things up" after it's "too late"
- After school detention (lasting for 30 minutes after school), if assigned, will result in students either walking/biking/skateboarding/scootering, etc. home or a parent picking them up due to district transportation leaving prior to after school detention ending
- Non-violent or non-recommendation for expulsion offenses that result in students receiving in school or out of school suspension may possibly be replaced with parents choosing to attend school with students for the duration of assigned suspension
Theft
- No matter how inexpensive or expensive an item is, if you take an item that doesn't belong to you, it's theft, and if you find an item and keep it instead of turning it in immediately, it's theft
- Expect a referral to police
We are here to help students navigate learning and growing, and all the ups and downs that may come with that journey. Our consistent message is that we all make mistakes, and in owning them, accepting the consequences that come from them, and striving not to repeat them, we can learn and grow from them. We care for and believe in every single student in our learning community, and that does not waver regardless of academic or behavioral successes or struggles. Please always contact us if you desire to communicate anything you have questions about or need further guidance with. Thank you!